Building trust through people-centred justice The opening session offers high-level insights on the evolving landscape of justice, emphasising the critical role of the justice sector in reinforcing democracy and the rule of law, and promoting individual and community well-being. In today’s world, with democratic backsliding and decreasing levels of public trust, the justice gap is growing, and the rule of law is under threat. The growing justice gap means that our systems and institutions have often come to be seen as multipliers of inequality, working only for the few. Justice actors are employing a range of strategies to turn the tide: by bringing justice services closer to people, enhancing justice capacities to address global challenges, strengthening legal empowerment for a more responsive rule of law, and enhancing justice transparency, integrity and accountability for fair outcomes. These insights will set the parameters of and inspire the concrete discussions throughout the roundtable, which is a key event to inform implementation of the 2023 OECD Recommendation on Access to Justice and People-Centred Justice Systems and countries’ collective ability to achieve SDG 16.3.3 and its vision of access to justice for all.

This session will feature a two-part high-level dialogue on current initiatives by justice systems to address the topics at the center of this year’s global roundtable: Building trust through people-centred justice. The first part will focus on democracy, the rule of law and people-centered justice and the second part will focus on the ability of governments and public institutions to respond to global challenges, including climate change and digitalisation, as a key driver of trust. I. Democracy, rule of law and people-centred justice As an aspiration, the rule of law promises to provide protection, to enable participation and to ensure fairness in society and the economy. Effective and responsive institutions and systems are needed to deliver on that promise and to restore the productive and democratic relationship between people and institutions. Yet, global data shows that the rule of law is declining in many countries, with decreasing constraints on government powers, shrinking civic space and justice systems that are failing to meet people’s needs. The rule of law is critical to democracy, including to ensure that those wielding political and economic power are subject to and abide by the rules. The justice sector is a central pillar of the institutions and systems necessary to promote and improve the rule of law. To promote trust and reinforce democracy, countries need to build trust in the justice sector and close the global justice gap. In this context, the justice sector needs to advance towards greater openness, inclusiveness and responsiveness. The justice sector needs to deliver relevant and effective solutions to people’s justice challenges, in a manner that is both accessible and equitable for all. This dialogue focuses on approaches that justice actors in countries around the world are taking to stem democratic decline, to transform their institutions, build people-centered justice systems and to reinforce the crucial link between the rule of law and equality. Questions to be addressed: • Democracy: What are the main gaps we see in the rule of law and in providing access to justice for all and how do these relate to people’s disengagement from democracy? What challenges and opportunities do justice institutions face? What data and evidence are being collected to understand these dynamics and inform the strategies of justice actors? • Rule of Law: How can countries build a justice sector that is able to deliver on the promise of the rule of law, contribute to fairness in society and the economy and strengthen the responsiveness of the public sector, as key drivers of trust? • People-centred justice: What are examples of effective people-centred justice strategies to strengthen democracy and public trust and to help people and communities contribute to positive change in the justice sector? How to make justice systems much more effective at resolving and preventing people’s justice problems in order to close the justice gap? • Legal Empowerment: How can we foster public participation in justice system transformation and to strengthen democratic institutions? What are successful examples? II. Response of the justice sector to global trends and challenges, including climate change and artificial intelligence (AI) A credible rule of law calls for a justice sector that helps democracy deliver and effectively enables governments to address global challenges. In today’s world, this entails adapting to the digital transformation and anticipating and preventing new justice problems, including those caused by AI. As countries increase their efforts to tackle climate change, the role of the justice sector is increasingly important to ensure fairness in the processes and outcomes of environmental policymaking and in response to increasingly frequent extreme weather events. In this dialogue, participants will share high-level experiences with justice sector responses to global challenges and opportunities that are reshaping our societies and putting new demands on justice systems. There is a need to work toward a different type of justice system that is responsive and has an increased capacity for prevention and early intervention. People-centred justice is required to increase our capacity to address the cross-border and destabilising effects of climate change and to ensure that digitalisation and the use of AI contributes positively to our society, including by protection of all people from abuse via these technologies. Questions to be addressed: • Digitalisation and AI: Given the impacts of digitalisation and AI on our societies and economies, the speed of change and the financial interests involved, what are justice actors doing to ensure fairness in society and the economy and improve life outcomes for people? • Digitalisation and AI: In the context of digitalisation and AI, what are effective strategies and approaches that justice actors can deploy, and justice services that can be provided, to help people resolve their justice problems? • Climate change: What are country examples and good practices to respond to justice problems that people face due to climate change, including the impact of extreme weather events? • Climate change: What are country examples and good practices to ensure that the required adaptations and transitions are fair and do not reinforce existing inequalities and exclusions?

PLENARY DISCUSSION This session will discuss justice sector responses and approaches in specific country contexts of pressures on democracy and decline in the rule of law. Speakers will present what data and evidence they have to grapple with these complex societal dynamics and what initiatives they are taking to deliver on the promise of the rule of law and regain citizen’s trust. They will discuss effective responses to growing pressures on democracy, immediate crises in society and the economy as well as adapting to longer terms transformations. Speakers will reflect on people’s experience with and perceptions of the rule of law in practice, and how these connect to their support for democracy and their trust in public institutions. This includes people’s direct interactions with the systems meant to promote the rule of law, for example when they are trying to resolve their justice problems or when they interact with public institutions, as well as their perceptions of how the rule of law functions in society, including whether those with economic or political power are being held to account. Questions to be addressed: • Strategic approaches: What strategic approaches are justice institutions taking in response to pressures on democracy and decline in the rule of law? How do these contribute to reinforcing democracy and restoring trust? What initiatives are countries implementing to deliver on the promise of the rule of law and provide meaningful access to justice for all? • Good practices and collaborations: What are effective practices to develop people-centered justice systems and enhance access to justice for all? How can justice systems become much more effective in resolving and preventing people’s justice problems? What national or international collaborations are effective in this regard? • Support, tools and learning from other sectors: What support and tools are being developed or needed to strengthen the justice sectors capacity to respond flexibly and proactively to these pressures? What data and evidence is being collected or needed and what can be learned from other sectors?

PLENARY DISCUSSION Building trust in democracy and the rule of law requires focused strategies to ensure equal access to justice for all, in particular for previously excluded or under-served people and communities. It requires reconnecting to all those that do not have meaningful access to justice, and who are unable to resolve their justice problems, because of the mismatch between the justice they want and need and the justice our institutions currently provide. This session focuses on how justice actors are engaging with specific groups to co-create and develop justice strategies based on the perspective of people for whom the justice system is not working. These strategies help ensure that a diverse range of voices are represented and their participation in shaping the justice sector is welcomed. This session provides an opportunity for participants to share experiences with recent and ongoing developments in implementing inclusive justice strategies. Questions to be addressed : • Strategic approaches: What are effective approaches to include groups, communities and peoples that are currently underserved by the justice sector or face historical and continuing discrimination and marginalization? What are the opportunities and challenges to actively engage these people and communities in policy-making through co-creation and participation? • What will success look like?: What will meaningful access to justice and delivering on the promise of the rule of law look like for previously or currently excluded people and communities? What additional strategies, resources and approaches will be required to implement people-centred justice in relation to these people and groups? • Good practices and collaborations: What are the recent good practice examples of inclusive strategies to provide meaningful access to justice and effective justice solutions to people and communities who are or were previously underserved or excluded? What national or international collaborations are effective in this regard? • Support, tools and learning from other sectors: What methodologies and tools can be used to engage with people and communities with distinct and diverse needs and to better understand their needs and experiences with the justice system? What data and evidence is being collected or needed and what can be learned from other sectors?

PLENARY DISCUSSION People-centred justice is characterised by moving away from one-size fits all processes driven by institutional demands toward more responsive and personalised justice services to respond effectively to resolve and prevent justice problems that people and communities face. This transformation is supported by people-centred good practice principles and the appropriate use of technology to ensure fairness and access to justice for all. People-centred justice requires transcending conventional reactive attitudes that have characterised justice system responses in the past and shifting the focus to prevention. Preventive justice requires developing effective means to empower individuals and communities within and outside justice processes and to adopt comprehensive approaches to individual, family and community well-being. Ultimately, prevention requires both early intervention in individual cases and tackling the root causes of the most common justice problems people face. Questions to be addressed: • Strategic approaches: What strategies are being deployed or necessary to make the justice system more responsive to the needs and experiences of different people and groups, with their broad diversity in terms of capabilities and expectations of the justice sector? How can the justice sector embrace preventive approaches? • Good practices and collaborations: What are successful examples of preventive approaches in the justice sector, including in transforming the design and delivery of justice services? What national or international collaborations are effective in this regard? • Support, tools and learning from other sectors: What evidence is being collected or needed to promote prevention as a leading outcome of people-centred justice? How can the OECD support countries in designing policy and services that focus on preventive justice? What tools may provide useful assistance to countries, to deepen evidence on what works in this regard and what can be learned from other sectors?

EXPERT POLICY DISCUSSION Justice systems have failed to eradicate gender-based violence despite the long-held recognition of the broad and widespread nature of these forms of violence and several decades of concerted effort in many countries. These failures, alongside other examples of gender-based discrimination within the justice system and the use of the legal and justice systems to reinforce inequalities contribute to women’s heightened distrust in democratic institutions. Within this context, the new digital environment creates additional avenues for gender-based violence but new tools for the protection of children, women and other vulnerable individuals and groups. In this session, participants will share current experiences with targeted interventions to address gender-based violence in the digital era. Questions to be addressed : • Practical experiences: What are the examples of people-centred justice services that effectively address gender-based violence perpetrated online? Do promising practices exist for preventing online gender-based violence and empowering women and girls in the context of the digital transformation? Can similar approaches be utilised to effectively address and prevent other forms of gender-based violence? • Evidence needs and what works: What evidence is needed to support the design and implementation of effective justice solutions to prevent and remedy online gender-based violence? What evidence do we currently have about what works in this regard? What national or international collaborations are effective in this regard? • Support, tools and learning from other sectors: How can the OECD support countries in designing policy and services that focus on preventing and remedying online injustices? What tools are available or needed to provide useful assistance to countries and to deepen evidence on what works? What can be learned from other sectors?

EXPERT POLICY DISCUSSION The 2023 OECD Recommendation on Access to Justice and People-Centred Justice Systems has as its core component the establishment of a people-centred justice sector. This transformation requires deep changes on every dimension including: • Building a people-centred purpose and culture in the justice system; • Designing and delivering people-centred justice services; • Establishing an enabling governance infrastructure for a people-centered justice system; • Empowering people to be informed and to participate; and • Committing to evidence-based planning, monitoring, and evaluation. This session will showcase country experiences in implementing the recommendation. It will include a collaborative dialogue on overcoming obstacles and leveraging opportunities for reform, ultimately making justice systems more people-centred and increasing their ability to effectively resolve and prevent justice problems. Speakers will focus on examples of different dimensions mentioned above. Questions to be addressed: • Practical experiences: What is relevant country experience in implementing people-centered justice along the different dimensions of the OECD recommendation on access to justice and people-centred justice systems? To what extent can this experience be transported to, or adapted for use in, other countries? • Evidence needs and what works: What data and evidence is being collected or needed to support the design and implementation of the Recommendation and what are barriers and bottlenecks justice actors face? What national or international collaborations are effective in this regard? • Support, tools and learning from other sectors: How can the OECD support countries in implementing the recommendation? What additional tools may provide useful for policy-making and implementation and to deepen evidence on what works in this regard? What can be learned from other sectors?

EXPERT POLICY DISCUSSION Methods and approaches people-centred justice and access to justice data and research are rapidly evolving, offering insights to policy makers to support data-driven reform and introduce evidence-based practice across the justice sector. The need is growing for practical and meaningful indicators to measure justice performance, for the justice sector as a whole, at the level of different justice services and for common justice problems or different groups and communities. A framework for the measurement of people-centered justice would support the implementation of the OECD recommendation and enable countries to report progress on SDG16 and its promise of access to justice for all (including through SDG indicator 16.3.3). This session will present the latest developments in justice data, including how new data is collected and used across countries, and the key insights gained from these efforts. Questions to be addressed: • Latest experiences and developments: What are recent examples of countries increasing the collection and use of people-centered justice data? What are the latest methodological developments in legal needs surveys and access to justice research? • New insights and evidence: What are new insights and findings that are particularly relevant for justice actors to improve their policymaking, implementation and service delivery? What are the conditions that facilitate the integration of empirical knowledge into justice policy and operation of the justice sector? • Opportunities and collaborations: What are the opportunities to accelerate the collection of people-centred justice data and its use in supporting the movement toward people-centred justice? What national and international collaborations can support more and better collection of people-centered justice data and access to justice research?

This interactive working session will provide an opportunity for dialogue and exchange about successful models for people-centred justice and actionable insights for reforming justice services based on people-centred data to meet diverse needs. Participants will discuss methodologies for user-driven service improvements and strategies to enhance the accessibility of justice services with the shared goal of improving outcomes for all and preventing subsequent justice problems from arising. Examples will include integrating people-centred services into existing justice sector institutions and establishing new community-based service providers of integrated and holistic services.

Climate change is causing an increase in extreme weather events such as flooding, wildfires, and excessive rain as well as extreme droughts. This creates a range of justice problems for the people who are affected, for example, by the destruction of homes and need for relocation, loss of vital documentation, financial impacts, and resolution of insurance claims. In this interactive working session, participants will discuss this new class of justice problems as a potential site for systemic reform and the reinvention of the relationship between people, communities, and the state. Preventive approaches, consistent with people-centred justice, can increase governments and businesses’ ability to prevent and resolve such problems by for example by the utilization digital technologies to reduce the risks of harms to people and communities affected. Piecemeal responses to the challenges of climate change will not suffice and governments must initiate large-scale societal transitions by engaging all stakeholders and, in particular, the communities most impacted by climate change and those who are directly involved in environmental justice efforts. Ensuring that such transitions are just, requires full participation of all those affected in every stage of reform: from the design through implementation of all justice sector responses. Participants will share experiences with specific aspects of this transition including strategies to ensure equal access to remedies and effective resolution of justice problems that leaves no one behind, the need to protect climate activists, and the need to nurture civic space. These examples underscore the inter-relation between people-centred justice, the rule of law and strengthening democracy.

This interactive working session will present the preliminary elements of the toolkit to support countries in implementing the 2023 OECD Recommendation on Access to Justice and People-Centred Justice Systems into their justice sector. The toolkit will be based around a series of enablers to support implementation of the five Pillars, each with multiple components or Sub-Pillars, of the OECD Recommendation. This includes the development of an indicator framework that will measure resolution of justice problems, legal empowerment, and fairness of outcomes, as well as methodologies for collecting and analysing relevant data. This framework seeks to reflect the principles of people-centred justice and to generate internationally comparable data, to help countries report on progress on SDG 16.3.3. Through a practical workshop, this session will foster collaboration among participants, enabling their contributions and inputs based on expertise, practical experience and relevant insights to the development of the indicator framework. Participants will work in small groups (led by one facilitator per group) to design potential indicators to correspond to the relevant Pillars and Sub-Pillars of the OECD Recommendation.

In the closing session the plenary will receive short reports from the three interactive working sessions so that all can benefit from these discussions. A set of high-level speakers will then reflect on the progress made to date on moving toward people-centered justice and the global outlook for achieving equal access to justice and reinvigorating democratic institutions and the rule of law.